17 Barbies Commemorating Powerful Women Have Been Released

Barbie dolls have been gracing our children’s bedrooms and playrooms for over 58 years now, but recently the company behind them decided to freshen things up a bit. They surveyed 8,000 mothers and found out 86% are worried about the kind of role models their daughters are being subjected these days. The company responded by creating 17 new dolls designed with the purpose of inspiring women.

1) Frida Kahlo

This Mexican artist painted primarily self portraits, and was incredibly inspired by the natural beauty of Mexico, and its popular culture. Kahlo passed away at 47 years of age, following a drug overdose.

2) Amelia Earheart

Amelia Earheart was the queen of the skies, and was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She was born in 1897, and went missing in 1937, aged just 39, as she attempted to fly to Howland Island from Papa New Guinea. She was declared dead in 1939.

3) Martyna Wojciechowska

Martyna is a world renowned TV presenter, traveller, journalist and writer. The 43 year old was born in Warsaw, Poland.

4) Hélène Darroze

Helen is a 51 year old world renowned French chef, and has previously won The Veuve Clicquot World’s Best Female chef, meaning she’s a pioneer for female chefs.

5) Ashley Graham

Ashley is a 30 year old plus size model. Graham is well known for her work in raising awareness and exposure for plus size models, and is really pushing to promote a healthy body image for women

6) Patty Jenkins

Patty Jenkins is a world renowned film director and screenwriter. The 46 year old, hailing from California, is known for directing movies such as Monster and Wonder Woman. She actually won the Independent Spirit Award For The Best Feature for her work on Monster.

7) Katherine Johnson

Katherine Johnson is an infamous mathematician who is well known for her contributions to the United States space programs. She was born in Virginia, and is an incredible 99 years old. She was listed in the BBC’s list of 100 influential women worldwide.

8) Yuan Yuan Tan

Tan is a Chinese ballet dancer from Shanghai. She is the prima ballerina of the San Francisco Ballet. She is also the guest principal dancer at the Hong Kong Ballet. She is regarded as one of the most notorious dancers of her generation, and is held as the greatest Chinese ballerina of all time.

9) Sara Gama

Sara is an Itallian women’s football player, who currently plays for Juventus. The 28 year old has also played for PSG. She’s featured for the Italian national team set up, and took part in the 2009 European Championship.

10) Leyla Piedayesh

Leyla is the founder and the engine behind the Berlin fashion label Lala Berlin. Born in Terhan, she currently resides in the German capital.

11) Ibitihaj Muhammad

Ibitihaj is an American fencer, and is part of the American fencing team. She has become notorious for being the first American woman to wear a hijab whilst competing for for the US in the Olympics.

12) Bindi Irwin

Bindi is the only daughter of world renowned television star and conservationist Steve Irwin. Bindi is known for carrying on her fathers work, particularly when it comes to the infamous Australlia Zoo. She’s also known to be a bit of a dancer, and came first during a season of Dancing With The Stars.

13) Xiaotong Guan

Guan, who is known by her English name of Traey Miley is a Chinese actress. She’s gained acclaim for her roles in features such as Nuan, The Promise, and The Left Ear. The 20 year old is known in China as “The Nations Daughter”.

14) Chloe Kim

Chloe is an American snowboarder, who became the youngest woman to win an Olympic snowboarding medal at the age of 17 years. She also became the first woman to win two gold medals in snowboarding at the Winter Olympic Youth Games.

15) Gabby Douglas

Gabby Douglas is an American artistic gymnast, who is a member of the US women’s national gymnastics team. She was a member of the gold-winning American team at the 2011 and 2015 World Championships. The 22 year old hails from Virginia.

16) Ava Duvernay

Ava Duvernay is a critically acclaimed film director, producer and screenwriter. The 45 year old American won the US Directing Award at the 2012 Sundance Film Fesitival, and in doing so became the first African American woman to win the award.

17) Hui Ruoqi

Hui is a world famous Chinese volleyball player, and captain of the Chinese women’s national volleyball team. The 27 year old actually retired this year, but her reputation as one of the worlds best will live on.